


Cloud Has Friends Who Support Him Getting the D (Isn't He Lucky?)

by Rellanka



Series: A Year Of Cloudy Skies [75]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Flirting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:48:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25277194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Rellanka
Summary: Roche flirts with Cloud a lot. It was only a matter of time before others started having opinions about it.
Relationships: Roche/Cloud Strife
Series: A Year Of Cloudy Skies [75]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697269
Comments: 3
Kudos: 142





	Cloud Has Friends Who Support Him Getting the D (Isn't He Lucky?)

Some of the things that Roche said were crazy. And not in the normal, overly obsessed with his bike and racing way that normal people would talk about. 

No, the things he specifically said were really out of this world when it came to Cloud.

Overtures so blatant and insane that they couldn’t possibly be real, even as Roche acted like he was being perfectly earnest while saying them. 

For crying out loud, the guy basically proposed to Cloud after knowing him for less than five minutes, _while_ they were trying to kill each other. 

Who the hell even does that?

But of course, with the way that Roche just couldn’t seem to be bothered to keep his flirtation subtle, other people started noticing. 

And other people started forming opinions about it. 

***

The last thing Cloud needed to encounter after taking Tifa on a quick raid on one of Shinra’s facilities was Roche. 

And yet, there the man had suddenly appeared, revving his engine as he sped up beside them and laughing that laugh that was becoming all too familiar. 

“My, stirring up the hornets again I see. Though this time you didn’t need my help to escape their sting. What a shame.” Roche said merrily, his tone changing slightly as he continued, “I must say, I was hoping that we might be able to enjoy our night together alone this fine evening, but I see you’ve chosen to again bring a friend along. Hmmm. I don’t exactly prescribe to the notion that more is merrier, but I suppose I can make an exception in your case!” 

Cloud closed his eyes briefly to the sound of Tifa choking behind him. He was a little concerned with the hacking, but maybe it was a good thing that she couldn’t currently talk? At least that meant she wasn’t asking how Cloud knew Roche. Or doing really terrible things such as demanding to know what Roche had meant. 

“I guess we didn’t escape them, if you’re here.” Cloud pointed out in a tone dry as dust as he swerved sharply toward the Soldier, hoping to nudge Roche more into outright battle than into more of those suggestive comments. 

It backfired completely, as he left Roche an opening the Soldier didn’t hesitate to take. 

“Oh, Angel.” Roche purred, staring straight at him and smirking at him from the space between their bikes, “I didn’t come because of _them_. This is a pursuit of pure pleasure, I assure you.” 

“This is _what?!_ ” Tifa half gasped, half shrieked even as Cloud mentally kicked himself hard. He deserved that for the way he’d practically left the door open for such a comment. 

“Never mind.” Cloud said out loud as he decided to try to head the whole situation off with the way that it looked to be headed south fast, “Look, if you leave us alone right now, I might be talked into giving you the race you want later.”

“Why, if you aren’t careful, I’ll think you’re serious about that, angel.” Roche replied with a surprised look thrown Cloud’s way. 

“I am.” Cloud said firmly. If it ended the horribly awkward situation going on right now because Tifa was right. there. Cloud would be willing to do just about anything. 

“Well. Far be it for me to hold you up in your task, or not to accept such a promise. I look forward to our race then, my friend!” Roche called, before blessedly directing his bike away from them and disappearing in his usual show of unfairly talented moves. 

Afterward, there was a looming type of silence on the bike that caused Cloud’s shoulders to grow more and more tense as time passed until they had finally reached their destination a little away from Seventh Heaven and Cloud brought the motorcycle to a halt. 

Tifa climbed off the back and ran a hand through her hair before she finally couldn’t resist commenting any longer. “Cloud, do you realize what he-” Tifa began as she stared at him with raised eyebrows. 

“Don’t, Tifa. Just don’t. Please.” Cloud snapped, irritation and embarrassment over the blush he could feel overtaking his face causing him to revert back to his gruffer habits. He reached up one of his hands to at least try to rub some of the kinks out of his left shoulder. Both of them were probably going to be aching by tomorrow. 

“Ooooookay, then.” Tifa said wryly, and Cloud was grateful that she was one of the only people he knew that would drop things when he asked for them to be dropped. Sometimes. 

***

It was a few weeks before Barret’s perspective came into the whole thing, and it happened just as Cloud was starting to hope that maybe Barret wouldn’t have an opportunity to have an opinion about it at all. It was after Roche had once again popped up and saved Cloud’s ass. He’d saved Barret’s in the process; not that the Avalanche leader seemed to care about that. 

“Why the hell did that guy just barge in like that? We had that shit covered!” Barret groused into his drink at the bar, glaring down at it like it had done him some great insult- or as if it held a picture of Roche’s face inside of it.

“I think he gets worried. About me. Doesn’t want to lose his rival or something, I guess.” Cloud muttered haltingly beside him, raising his own glass to half hide behind it. 

He was doing everything he could to avoid looking at Barret, but curiosity caused him to check Barret’s reaction to that statement as the man turned to face him. 

It both was and wasn’t what he’d been expecting. There was some of that ever present exasperation there, along with that look that Barret got whenever he was questioning the common sense of the person he was talking to (a look Cloud got more than he thought fair), but there was also a tinge of worry there, a look Cloud only recognized after seeing a much stronger version of it being directed Marlene’s way all too often. 

“You alright with him treating you like that, Spike? Or do I have to hunt his obsessed biker ass down and have a nice little chat?” 

And Barret’d probably do it, too, and not even bother to consider why that might be a bad idea. Roche had been… an odd version of courteous so far to Cloud and his friends, but Cloud didn’t want to test if that extended to being physically attacked while Cloud wasn’t there. 

(And, well, a part of him didn’t really think that Roche had done anything to deserve having to deal with an overprotective Barret, either. (And Cloud definitely hadn’t done anything bad enough to deserve having to deal with ending the situation. God, even just thinking of the chaos such a meeting would bring…))

“No.” Cloud said quickly, hoping to head off that particular nightmare before it had a chance to sprout into a waking one, “No, it’s fine. Just leave it, okay?”

“Huh.” Barret said, and Cloud suddenly couldn’t read the man at all as he gave Cloud an once-over before turning around to sit properly in his seat and stare straight ahead at the back of the bar as he said in a careful tone. “Huh. …You, uh, you _do_ know that his words can get a little… suggestive at times, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Cloud said, trying and likely failing not to blush into his drink. “It’s… hard to miss.” 

“Right. Alright. Okay. Long as you’re alright with it, I ain’t got nothing against it. Just make sure it doesn’t interfere with the mission, you hear?” Barret mumbled into his glass, before throwing the entire drink back as if he was suddenly dying of thirst. 

Cloud smiled, not feeling up to looking at Barret directly, but still feeling comforted despite the man’s awkwardness. Warmed, somehow, by Barret’s acceptance. 

(Barret’s acceptance of what?)

“I won’t. I promise.”

***

Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge’s opinions all were less reactions and more a very embarrassing moment in time that Cloud would like to forget and never relive again. 

He’d known that the three were up to something from the awkward looks and cut-off, half begun conversations they’d been having with him all day. 

But he hadn’t had been expecting anything like **this**. 

Even though he was physically close to the- basket and it’s… contents… laying on the table in front of him, mentally Cloud had pulled himself far away from it enough that he might as well have been in the Northern Cave. 

“Why.” Was all he could ask as he looked at the other three that refused to meet his eyes. 

“I, uh. I got some advice from some friends of mine, who told me about things you might- need. Um. I hope- I hope I got the right stuff.” Biggs finally said with a bit of the same awkwardness that Cloud was currently feeling. 

“I helped, so if we didn’t, it’s partially my fault. Just let me know what you don’t like, and I’ll return it, okay?” Jessie piped up. 

“We did this to let you know that we’re okay with whatever you choose, Cloud. You’re our friend, and whatever makes you happy is alright by us. Besides, Roche seems like a pretty great guy!” Wedge pipped up.

“Yeah.” Biggs joined in the slow train wreck happening right in front of Cloud, “He really helped us with those Shinra thugs and their machines the second time we met him. I don’t know how we would have gotten by without him.” 

“I mean, I’m not really sure I get it, but like Wedge said. Whatever makes you happy is alright by me!” Jessie said brightly. 

There wasn’t a thing Cloud could say to let them know how wrong they were. Especially when they might be right on the money. Or at least… right about some of the things in the basket potentially being useful in the future. Some of them. (Cloud didn’t know what that- thing- sitting in the basket beside the lube and other dildos was, and frankly, he was a little scared to find out.)

Really, though, Cloud wasn’t going to say any of that out loud. Hell, he didn’t even know **what** to say to **any** of this. 

“I- I need to be alone. Right now. See you guys later.” Cloud said, turning on his heel from them and the basket on the table and walking away. 

He’d tell them thank you later. Right now, he just had to cope with what he’d just seen. 

Especially that one particular part of the basket.

Really, what had they been thinking, getting him an item like **that**?! Was that even anatomically possible?

Cloud wasn’t sure he wanted to know. (Even as a little part of him knew that he’d get curious enough to try to see if it was later.)

***

The thing is, Cloud had always sort of known that he’d wind up somewhere like here. Here, standing in front of the apartment door of the address that had been quickly and slyly slipped into his pocket without his notice, almost alone on a piece of paper that had only a few words of explanation beside it. 

He’d known from the very first time his heart beat in excitement at the sound of that particular laugh, when the attraction between them caused Cloud’s blood to sing. When he felt glad to see the man put his hand to his chest, as if his heart were racing, too. When the other man had looked at him with that heated look in his eyes, and Cloud had **enjoyed** it. When the things Roche said caused Cloud to feel hopeful and flattered, rather than just annoyed. When his first reaction to the things Roche said was to try to get him to say more, not less.

So when a few moments had passed with Cloud pretending he hadn’t already made his decision in coming here, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. 

And when the door opened, he stepped in. 

“Have I finally caught you, angel?” Roche purred as he wasted no time in pinning Cloud against the now closed and locked door. 

“I don’t know. How strong is your net?” Cloud challenged, staring up into Roche’s eyes cockily. 

“Hmm. I guess we’ll see.” Roche purred as he leaned down. 

And they spoke very few words for the rest of the night. 

They were too busy putting the contents of Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge’s basket to very good use.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna regret this title in the morning, but it's late and I'm going to bed after posting the next fic. Regrets are for later.


End file.
